Jamerson Mangrum is a Georgia man convicted in December 2005 of the felony murder, rape, and aggravated child molestation of 15-year-old Katie Hamlin, whose nude and partially burned body was found near Kellogg Creek in Acworth in July 2002. He was 17 when the killing occurred, was tried as an adult, and is serving a sentence of life in prison plus 80 years. His convictions have been affirmed on appeal, and no court has granted him a new trial.
What Mangrum Was Convicted Of
Katie Hamlin’s body was discovered on July 2, 2002, on a bridge over Kellogg Creek off Kemp Drive in the southwest sector of Cherokee County, Georgia.1Fox 59. Georgia Father on Quest to Free Man Convicted of Daughter’s Murder The case sat unsolved for roughly two and a half years before a Cherokee County grand jury indicted Mangrum on June 15, 2004.2FindLaw. Mangrum v. State, No. S09A0525
On December 9, 2005, a Cherokee County jury found him guilty on every count: three counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated child molestation, one count of rape, and single counts of abandoning a dead body, concealing a death, and tampering with evidence. The rape conviction merged into felony murder, and two of the three felony murder verdicts were vacated by operation of law. The court imposed life for felony murder, consecutive 30-year terms on the two aggravated child molestation counts, consecutive 10-year terms for concealing a death and tampering with evidence, and a concurrent 12-month term for abandoning a dead body. The total came to life plus 80 years.2FindLaw. Mangrum v. State, No. S09A0525
The Evidence Against Him
DNA testing matched spermatozoa recovered from the victim’s mouth, anus, and vagina to Mangrum.2FindLaw. Mangrum v. State, No. S09A0525 A medical examiner and a forensic pathology expert testified that bruising on Hamlin’s back was consistent with her being held down with significant force, and the State argued she died from compressive asphyxiation during a sexual assault.3FindLaw. Mangrum v. State, No. S12A0875
Two fellow inmates testified that Mangrum had confessed to sexually assaulting Hamlin while another man or men held her down, and that those involved burned the body to destroy evidence tying them to the crime.4Barnesville.com. Supreme Court Weighs in on Mangrum Counsel Neighbors reported seeing a vehicle similar to his speeding away from his house near the time of the incident, and Hamlin’s body was found about a mile from his home.2FindLaw. Mangrum v. State, No. S09A0525
Mangrum’s principal defense was alibi. His trial attorney also tried during cross-examination to suggest Hamlin’s death came from a seizure triggered by her prescribed medication, Risperdal, but a toxicology report indicated she was not taking Risperdal when she died.3FindLaw. Mangrum v. State, No. S12A0875
The Appeals
New appellate counsel took the case to the Supreme Court of Georgia, raising a dozen issues that included the voluntariness of Mangrum’s statements to police (he was 17 and was not re-read his Miranda rights after a break in questioning), whether the trial court improperly allowed a forensic pathologist to characterize the manner of death as “homicide,” and whether the jury should have been instructed on involuntary manslaughter and accident.2FindLaw. Mangrum v. State, No. S09A0525
On June 15, 2009, the Georgia Supreme Court rejected 11 of the 12 claims and affirmed the convictions, finding the evidence sufficient for a rational jury to convict beyond a reasonable doubt. The court also rejected the argument that Mangrum’s age alone barred him from waiving his rights, noting that Georgia courts have upheld voluntary statements from even younger defendants. The one issue not resolved on the merits was ineffective assistance of trial counsel; because appellate counsel had not had an earlier chance to raise it, the court remanded for a hearing on that claim.2FindLaw. Mangrum v. State, No. S09A0525
At the remand hearing, Mangrum argued that his trial attorney had been deficient for failing to obtain medical records or expert testimony to support the Risperdal-seizure theory. On April 18, 2011, the trial court denied the claim, finding he had offered only “mere speculation” and had produced no medical records or expert testimony showing that a fuller investigation would have changed the trial’s outcome. The Georgia Supreme Court affirmed on September 10, 2012, leaving the conviction and sentence intact.3FindLaw. Mangrum v. State, No. S12A0875
Katie Hamlin’s Father’s Push to Free Him
Around 2015, Katie Hamlin’s father, Joe Hamlin, began publicly arguing that Mangrum was innocent and pressing prosecutors to reopen the case. Diagnosed with terminal stage-four cancer that had spread to his lungs, liver, and colon, he said he wanted to act before he died.1Fox 59. Georgia Father on Quest to Free Man Convicted of Daughter’s Murder
After learning he was a distant relative of Mangrum, Hamlin obtained the case’s discovery materials from Mangrum’s mother and reviewed them. He wrote to Mangrum in prison with roughly 19 questions, including control questions to which he already knew the answers, and said Mangrum’s 16-page reply was consistent with his trial testimony. Hamlin said he held copies of phone records he believed placed Mangrum at home during the murder, pointed to handwritten investigator notes he read as supporting innocence, and identified two other men who had been questioned early on as the actual killers.1Fox 59. Georgia Father on Quest to Free Man Convicted of Daughter’s Murder
The Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s office declined to reopen the case. Chief Assistant District Attorney Rachelle Carnesale said none of the information Hamlin brought forward rose to the level of “relevant evidence” that would exculpate Mangrum, noted that the two men Hamlin named had already been investigated, and reiterated that DNA matching Mangrum was recovered from multiple orifices of the victim’s body and that the burned areas corresponded to where DNA was recovered. Prosecutors said they would review any “actual evidence against any co-conspirators” that surfaced.1Fox 59. Georgia Father on Quest to Free Man Convicted of Daughter’s Murder
Hamlin acknowledged the weight of the evidence and told reporters, “I always keep that in the back of my mind. He knows up front that if I think he had anything to do with Katie’s death, he’s going to stay in prison.” Coverage of his advocacy also reported that Joe Hamlin had himself served nine years in prison for child molestation and possession of child pornography.5Daily Mail. Dying Father on Quest to Free Man Convicted of Killing Daughter
Where the Case Stands
Mangrum is serving his sentence at Hays State Prison in Georgia.4Barnesville.com. Supreme Court Weighs in on Mangrum Counsel His convictions have been affirmed at every level of appellate review, and as of the most recent available reporting, no court has granted him a new trial or any other form of post-conviction relief.